Advance Review: These Savage Shores #5
Do you ever get the feeling that there is so much good material out there that you could spend a lifetime trying to catch up on all of it and never put a dent in it? That is how I feel this week after being asked to review issue #5 of These Savage Shores by Ram V (Paradiso, Black Mumba) and company. Intriguing, compelling and set in a time and place that was both unexpected and welcome, because it was done well, the book was a joy to read and experience.
If you have read my reviews before, you will know that I can be hyper critical on media of any type that chooses to use historical events and figures as their basis in fact or foundation. It’s not that I don’t enjoy those types of stories but I ask that the material be faithful to the tone and tenor of the actual history before it departs in whatever direction the author and/or creative team decide to go. Ram V does this brilliantly throughout this mini-series. I was not familiar with this title and, as is my wont, I went back and read the four issues preceding this one. Set in eighteenth century India and England; this tale of horror, introspection and sober reflections is set against the tumultuous reality that was Southern India at that time. In fact, several of the characters in the series are based on actual historical figures. The writing was so compelling and the subject matter so interesting, that I felt compelled to go and do some research on the actual history and I learned something in the process. I don’t know that I can give much higher praise that that to the masterful Ram V; who managed to pull me in, enthrall and intrigue me with a fictional tale that in turn led me to a piece of history I was not familiar with.
With all of that said, the fictional elements of the book do not take a back seat to the actual history on display. The writer weaves together elements of Western and Indian cosmology and mythology. In doing so, V manages to pit two legendary creatures of darkness against each other; one that is intimately familiar to most Western audiences and another that is well known in India and known to me because of thorough readings of the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual as a child. The end result is a seamless blend of the fantastic and the historical that works on every level.
Not to be outdone, the art team has done excellent work here as well and I have to give a special shout out to the letterer of the book; more on that in a moment. The artwork is ethereal and ephemeral. It has a grounded feel to it that spares the reader no detail when it comes to the grisly or grotesque. At the same time, the color and lines have a supernatural aspect that plays well with the story and the various fantastic elements in the book.  The whole product then frames this corporeal conflict and presents it with a supernatural feel and look that gives the book a sense of grandeur and imparts in the reader a sense of rapt dread. This brings us then to the letterer. In different sections of the book different characters engage in either inner monologue or correspondence. Aditya Bidikar makes a bold and wonderful choice with those text 
elements. At the risk of having the book lack cohesion, Bidikar chose to give each character a font that reflected who they were. It works incredibly well, adding depth to the characters and making the book that much more interesting. It is my habit to always include the letterers in my credits for a book, there would be no story without them after all. Here is a perfect example of what a talented and resourceful letterer can bring to a book. Kudos!
All in all this is fine book and mini-series, one I enjoyed immensely. I recommend it highly to anyone who is a fan of horror, historical fiction or the supernatural.
Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Art – 4.75 of 5 Stars
Color 4.75 of 5 Stars
Letters – 5 of 5 Stars
Overall Score – 4.9 of 5 Stars
Writing – Ram V
Art – Sumit Kumar
Color – Vittorio Astone
Letters – Aditya Bidikar
Author Profile
- Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.
He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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